FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thurs., Dec. 5, 2024
CONTACT: Katlyn Svendsen, Global Public Relations & Content Services Senior Director, Travel South Dakota, (605) 773-3301

Travel South Dakota Proud to Announce 2024 Great Place and Great Face Designees

PIERRE, S.D. – Travel South Dakota is proud to recognize 35 businesses with a 2024 South Dakota Great Place designation and 81 individuals with a 2024 South Dakota Great Face designation. These tourism-focused businesses and individuals earned the designation for their outstanding hospitality and customer service.

“From the iconic Black Hills to the open plains, South Dakota is known as a land of welcoming wonders. These businesses and people are part of that and deserve to be recognized,” said James Hagen, Secretary of the Department of Tourism. “I am so proud and grateful of each and every one of them.”

The South Dakota Great Place program puts a spotlight on businesses that exemplify great service by going above and beyond for guests and employees. The South Dakota Great Face program honors individuals in the tourism and hospitality industry who excel in customer service by providing top-tier service to guests. The goal of both programs is to strengthen the tourism industry in South Dakota and offer support to tourism industry members.

“Hospitality is the heartbeat of South Dakota’s tourism industry, and these programs are our way of recognizing businesses and individuals that embody this spirit,” said Hagen. “We celebrate every designee and their consistency in providing exceptional service for every visitor.”

To view the list of Great Place businesses recognized, please click here. For a list of Great Face individuals, click here.

Online application forms for 2025 South Dakota Great Place and 2025 South Dakota Great Face will open in February 2025. All are encouraged to participate. For more information about the Great Place program, click here. To learn more about the Great Face program, click here.

The department also offers an Online Hospitality Training program. The training is free, and all tourism industry businesses are encouraged to share the training with their staff. For more information about the department’s hospitality programs, please click here.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.

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Media Notes: The 2024 South Dakota Great Place and South Dakota Great Place designees listed by community and organization:
 

2024 GREAT PLACES

Aberdeen

Wylie Park/Storybook Land

Belle Fourche

AmericInn by Wyndham

Brookings

Brookings Arts Council

The Carrot Seed Kitchen Co.

Children's Museum of South Dakota

Craft Chophouse & Lounge

Dacotah Bank Center

Downtown Brookings

Hampton Inn and Suites

Holiday Inn Express and Suites

The Lanes

McCrory Gardens at SDSU

The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center

South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum

South Dakota Art Museum

Tee’d Off Golf Simulators

Visit Brookings

Chamberlain

Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse Memorial

Hot Springs

The Mammoth Site

Keystone

Big Thunder, Inc.

Rush Mountain Adventure Park

Sprockets Fun Foundry

Madison

Lake Herman State Park & Walker’s Point Recreation Area (SD GFP)

Rapid City

Black Hills Adventure Tours

Black Hills Caverns

Black Hills Visitor Information Center

Visit Rapid City

Sioux Falls

Experience Sioux Falls

Falls Park Visitor Information Center

McCrossan Boys Ranch

Spearfish

Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort

Vermillion

Holiday Inn Express and Suites

Watertown

My Place Hotels

Venerts Hotel Management, Inc.

2024 GREAT FACES

Belle Fourche – AmericInn by Wyndham

Amy Struble, Ida Jackson, Jordan Cook, Denver Wilson, Stacey Raisanen, Greg Raisanen, Cathy Tobin, Marilyn Berdan and Diane Wolf

Brookings – Children’s Home of South Dakota

Mike Mogard and Kris Seas

Brookings – Holiday Inn Express and Suites

Jasmine Larson

Brookings – McCrory Gardens at South Dakota State University

Kayla Schmidt, Varlika Ahirekar, Carson Hensley, Kathryn Rausch, Catherine Jones, Lori Puetz, Alyson Swanson, Sydney Trio and Lisa Marotz

Brookings – The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center

Christina Castillo

Brookings – Visit Brookings

Laura Schoen Carbonneau, Kate Solberg, and Bridgit Burghardt

Chamberlain – Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center

Wanda Bunker and Linnea Wright

Crazy Horse Memorial

Terry DeRouchey, Kevin Showers, Tom Wilson, Judith Craig-Evanoff, Skyller Coughlin, Bill Daybrest, Mila Bravo and Frank Bravo

Crazy Horse Memorial – Korczak’s Heritage

Karl Schlotterback

Keystone – Big Thunder Gold Mine

Joe Kaiser, Jake Menken and Ross Curry

Keystone – Rush Mountain Adventure Park

Leo Wynia, Danny Pritchard, April Hagen and Tom Hagen

Keystone – Sprockets Fun Foundry

Veronica Logana, Julie Babcock and Tyler Cooper

Madison – Lake Herman State Park

Aubrey Lipetzky

Rapid City – Black Hills Adventure Tours

Mickey Higgins, Mark Barker, Jacki Welbig-Stenson, Alan Maas, Denny Gienger, Mike Faust, Rose Barker, Aura Plooster, Jamie McSherry and Carrie Gerlach

Rapid City – Black Hills and Badlands Tourism Association

Lois Peterson

Rapid City – Black Hills Caverns

Lexi Tharp, Joe Green, Jenny Lemon, Whitli Adams, Isaac Cristol, Nya Turek, Seth Schuelke, Katelyn Carpenter, Nadia Koontz, Kylee Sherman, Emily Baldwin, Cindy Vargas, Emi Morton and Azura Kliegl

Rapid City – Black Hills Visitor Information Center

Chad Tussing, Devon Urban, Skip Stanec, Katie Hoeke and Jessica Underwood

Sioux Falls – Experience Sioux Falls

Krista Orsack, Mary Hublou, Cheryl Wilson and Sarah Burman